Lightnin' Hopkins – Lightnin' And The Blues (1954)

“He released records on numerous labels, but this album was on the Herald imprint, and it features a song called Moving Out Boogie that alone is worth the price of admission.

“He kind of talks his way through it – it’s not really singing in the traditional sense – but the guitar playing could wake the dead. What he does in two and a half minutes on the guitar is enough to make you want to throw your fuzz and wah-wah pedals as far away as you can. Just toss 'em over the fence!

“If you can play Moving Out Boogie with even a third of the spirit of Lightnin’ Hopkins, then you just might have a chance. It’s the way to move, man. He played it like he wanted to play it.

“Our fair bassist, Dusty Hill, worked with Lightnin’ Hopkins a bit, and one time he said, ‘You know, Lightnin’, you seem to play in odd time signatures. One verse will be eight bars, and the next will be 10 bars.’ And Lightnin’ just said, ‘It don’t matter. Lightnin’ changes when Lightnin’ wants to change.’”